Infinity on High
by cherrylipsgobaby
Summary: Hermione realizes a few things after listening to some Muggle tunes. Initial and brief HG/RW, eventual MM/HG. Rated T for later chapters.


Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the song used - 'Hum Hallelujah" by Fall Out Boy. The characters' are J.K. Rowling's and the song is Fall Out Boy's. Please don't sue me.

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><p>When Hermione Weasley used her day off to partake in an old pastime of hers, she didn't anticipate the conversations she would be having afterward. Walking between familiar stacks of CDs at the local record shop, she looked for new tunes to sink her teeth into. Hermione found the music genre she had grown fond of, against what other people would perceive as her idea of good music: alternative music. She was perusing the new hits section when she saw a whimsical blue cover with a winged sheep in a strange, space-themed room. Excitedly picking up the album, Hermione went to the nearest listening station to see if she would enjoy the songs. As the opening strains of the first song washed over her, she noticed the band's discography and realized that she owned their second album, <em>From Under the Cork Tree<em>. The first four songs stirred emotions in Hermione that she hadn't allowed herself to feel since marrying Ron, but the fifth song brought them to a boiling point.

_It's all a game of this or that_

_Now versus then_

_Better off against _

_Worse for wear_

That's what she had thought, when she decided to marry Ronald Bilius Weasley. That she had limited options due to her status as a war hero. That she'd be better off marrying Ron than following her heart's desire.

_And you're someone_

_Who knows someone who knows someone I once knew_

_And I just want to be a part of this_

_The road outside my house_

_Is paved with good intentions_

Hermione had intended to be happy with her marriage.

_Hired a construction crew_

_'Cause it's hell on the engine_

_And you are the dreamer_

_And we are the dream_

_I could write it better than you ever felt it_

But, she knew that Ron had only been in love with the idea of her, not her - the real, living, breathing human being.

_So hum hallelujah_

_Just off the key of reason_

_I thought I loved you_

_But it's just how you looked in the light_

Hermione quickly realized that this song was her relationship with Ron, and she didn't like how it resounded in her original yet still relevant misgivings.

_A teenage vow in a parking lot_

_Till tonight do us part_

_I sing the blues and swallow them too_

Setting down the headphones at the listening station, Hermione decided she would purchase the album and then go home to have a discussion with Ron.

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><p><em>My words are my faith<em>

_To hell with our good name_

"What do you mean by 'I'm unhappy'? We've been married for five years, and you've never complained until now!" Ron grumbled.

Hermione's brow furrowed further, and she retorted, "That's because you're completely oblivious to everyone else's wants and needs, Ronald! You're only concerned with our public image as a happy couple, but once we're out of the spotlight, you go back to the pub and the Chudley Cannons."

Ron looked at her sheepishly and said, "So help me to understand, Hermione! I know we have different interests, but I thought we were a team - a good one at that."

_A remix up your guts_

_Your insides x-rayed_

_And one day we'll get nostalgic for disaster_

_We're a bull_

_Your ears are just a china shop_

* * *

><p>"So let me get this straight," Ron began calmly.<p>

_I love you in the same way_

_There's a chapel in a hospital_

_One foot in your bedroom_

_And one foot out the door_

"You love me, but you're not in love with me and you've felt this way since we first started dating? Really, Hermione? If you'd just been honest with me, we could've broken it off, and we could've found new people by now."

_Sometimes we take chances_

_Sometimes we take pills_

_I could write it better than you ever felt it_

Hermione replied, "Ron, I'm so sorry. I just found it difficult to disappoint everybody who thought we'd end up together: Harry, Ginny, you, and your family. Sometimes, I still feel the pressure to fit into the Wizarding world entirely, to fulfill its expectations of me so that I'm not an outsider; it wasn't just you who wanted to match the public's perception of us I suppose. But, now that we've come to an understanding, perhaps it is time for us to worry less about what the public thinks and carry on as friends. Just friends."

"I'd like that, Hermione," Ron said, smiling, "I really would."

_So hum hallelujah_

_Just off the key of reason_

_I thought I loved you_

_But it's just how you looked in the light_

_A teenage vow in a parking lot_

_Till tonight do us part_

_I sing the blues and swallow them too_

* * *

><p>Hermione hummed to herself as she received a finalized copy of her divorce papers by owl. She was now the proud owner of her own home, single, and content with her decisions.<p>

_A teenage vow in a parking lot_

_Till tonight do us part_

_I sing the blues_

_And swallow them too_

She didn't need another person to make her whole, and she was free to pursue her own interests to her heart's content.

_So, hum hallelujah_

_Just off the key of reason_

_I thought I loved you_

_It's just how you looked in the light_

_A teenage vow in a parking lot_

_Till tonight do us part_

_A teenage love in a parking lot_

_Till tonight do us part_

_A teenage vow in a parking lot_

_Till tonight do us part_

_I sing the blues and swallow them too_

* * *

><p>AN: I intend to expand upon this with other chapters, drawing upon other Fall Out Boy songs. When I do continue this, it will be MM/HG from this point forward. I just had to get this out of my mind and onto paper. I also have an MM/HG multi-chapter fic that I'm working on, and I will have that up soon.

Cheers to the new year!

Cherry


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